In association with
Editorial Review:
This is a guide to the Hebrew Bible unlike any other. Leading us chapter by chapter through its most important stories-from the Creation and the Tree of Knowledge through the Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land-James Kugel shows how a group of anonymous ancient interpreters radically transformed the Bible and made it into the book that has come down to us today.James Kugel's The Bible As It Was is an eye-opening study of early scriptural interpretation. Kugel focuses on readings of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) from 100-300 A.D., particularly the Jewish tradition of midrash --a practice of filling in the narrative gaps where biblical stories are ambiguous or unclear. Kugel's interest in midrash is more than academic, however. He wants readers to consider the ways these early readings of the Bible affect today's popular understandings of scriptural texts (such as the sacrifice of Isaac or the creation in Genesis); and he provides a convincing description of the richness and complexity that informs what seem to many like simple, commonsense readings of scripture.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Wonderful compilation of ancient views of biblical stories:
Lots of short excerpts from ancient texts show how biblical stories were interpreted and expanded by ancients. Interesting as history, literature, and for expanding your faith.
A definite must have for anyone interested in the Pentateuch:
Dr. Kugel sets out to produce a mixture of ancient and modern interpretations and does a wonderful job at it. While most of the interpretations are ancient coming from interpreters such as Philo, and others, Dr. Kugel helps explain them more smoothly by writing a brief analysis of each interpretation presented. The Bible as it Was, is truly a great way to learn about different interpretations other than the ones you hear in church. It offers a variety of interpretations, so that the reader can make up his... more info What did the Bible say before other people's interpretations:
"The Bible as it was" is a wonderful and exhaustive work regarding scriptural interpretation and the first five books of the Bible. Early Jewish tradition was to fill in interpretive information when necessary to resolve items that were ambiguous or unclear. In addition, notes and commentary were often passed along with the texts and over time tended to become a part of the text. As a result, the Bible of today includes a lot of commentary as well as the original texts.more info A chapter-by-chapter analysis:
This informtive study of the Hebrew Bible provides a chapter-by-chapter analysis of some of the most important stories of the Bible, describing how these stories were interpreted by various peoples, how its message was understood at the time, and the origins of modern explanations. An outstanding contrast between past and present interpretative methods. Similar Products:
Click here for Similar Products
Portions © Amazon.com, Inc.